Fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), also referred to as oleamide hydrolase and anandamide amidohydrolase, is an integral membrane protein that degrades fatty acid primary amides and ethanolamides, including oleamide and anandamide. FAAH degrades neuromodulating fatty acid amides at their sites of action and is intimately involved in their regulation.
FAAH has been demonstrated to be involved in a number of biological processes and its inhibition has been shown to be effective in treating a variety of conditions. For example, inhibiting FAAH has been shown to be useful in treating chronic pain, acute pain, neuropathic pain, anxiety, depression, feeding behaviors, movement disorders, glaucoma, neuroprotection and cardiovascular disease.
However, current inhibitors of FAAH lack the target selectivity, biological activity and/or bioavailability needed for in vivo studies and therapeutic use. Thus, to date, the therapeutic potential of FAAH inhibitors remains essentially unexplored.